Obituary of James Edward Wilson

Born and raised in Santa Cruz, Jim attended Branciforte Elementary and Santa Cruz High School. He enlisted in the Army during World War II, and was assigned to an Air Corps 80th squadron of P-38's in the South Pacific. Following an honorable discharge in 1945, he went to Salinas Junior College and San Jose State, graduating from Milwaukee School of Engineering. In 1955 he married Sue Hatch in Alameda, CA, after meeting her on a blind date in San Francisco. Jim started his career at Izant and Wilson in 1950, and was still coming to work regularly at Geo. H. Wilson, Inc. weeks before he died. Just as George passed on the business to his son, Jim's children Tom, Blue, and Julie worked by his side for many years. Jim was proud of the quality of workmanship the crews of Geo. H. Wilson, Inc. provided on projects from the Monterey Bay area to the Santa Clara Valley, including but not limited to the Nasa Ames Research Center, Hewlitt-Packard, buildings at Stanford and University of Santa Clara, Fairchild Semi-Conductor, Lipton Tea, Wrigley Gum, Salz Leathers, Synertek, Santa Cruz Government Center, most of the Science buildings at UCSC, Dominican and Watsonville Hospitals, and the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula. Jim was a founding member of the Santa Clara Valley Contractor's Association, as well as the San Jose chapter of American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). For nearly sixty years he was a Trustee on both the Northern California Pipe Trades District Council 36 and the Mechanical Contractors Council of Central California. Jim served as Pasatiempo Golf Club's first president under its current corporate structure, which he was instrumental in establishing in 1971. He loved to rise before dawn, whether he was heading to the office in Harvey West Park, the marsh in the San Joaquin Valley, or a lake in the Sierra Nevada. For sixty-seven years he spent fall weekends at the Cottonwood Duck Club in Gustine, and for most of those years, summer weekends trolling for rainbow trout at Huntington Lake. Jim and Sue traveled throughout the United States and Europe, some of their favorite trips being to Hawaii, beginning with their honeymoon in Honolulu. They enjoyed traveling together with family, as well as friends Norman and Margie Lezin. Their most recent adventure was aboard a cargo ship that voyaged from Tahiti to the Marquesas Islands. Jim was loyal, honest, hard-working, and dedicated to family and friends, qualities he passed on to his children and grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his brother Harold and their parents, Mabel Wave Wasgatt and George Henry Wilson. Jim is survived by his wife Sue, his children, Tom (Connie), Blue (Tory), Julie (Eamon), and Peter (Gloria), as well as grandchildren Margaret, Abbey (Jon), Carly, Eliot, Erin, Neil, and Chase. The Wilson family is grateful to Safe at Home Senior Care and its team of caregivers, as well as Hospice of Santa Cruz County, for keeping Jim comfortable at home in his final weeks. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in Jim's name to Hospice of Santa Cruz County. Celebration of Life will be scheduled later this year.